


Meticulous Procrastination

by robinasnyder



Series: Sharing Toothpaste [23]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-15
Updated: 2012-08-15
Packaged: 2017-11-12 04:44:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/486832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinasnyder/pseuds/robinasnyder





	Meticulous Procrastination

“Seb, be a darling and fetch me Jim’s laptop,” Richard said from the sofa he was lounging on. Sebastian tried very hard not to reach over and simply break Richard’s neck. Molly had been moving about awkwardly in the morning, but she just seemed so happy that Sebastian was still hesitant to kill Richard. But he really wanted to. 

“What for?” Sebastian asked. 

“Business, of course,” Richard said. “Angry Birds isn’t going to sustain me for very long. You better be back by the time I’ve finished the game,” he said with a wicked kind of grin. 

“Yes, sir,” Sebastian said. Richard had pouted when he’d been able to break into Jim’s phone, but didn’t have any memories or familiarity with the contents of the phone. He’d spent most of the afternoon trying to beat Jim’s Angry Bird scores. Richard got really quiet and angry when he couldn’t solve the puzzle and beat Jim’s scores on the allotted number of times he’d set in his head. Richard hard flickered between moody and gleeful all day long and Sebastian was honestly ready to be out of the flat. 

Sebastian hoped into his car, heading to the penthouse flat that Jim normally preferred. The place was still as clean of Mycroft Holmes’ suspicions as it had been from the beginning. Jim’s favorite safehouse was simultaneously the safest and the flashiest, always. Sebastian hadn’t been back to the place since Richard’s emergence and part of that came from the fact that Sebastian didn’t want Richard there. Richard ruined everything. Those were the words that kept playing in Sebastian’s head. Richard ruined everything and no matter how childish those words sounded to Sebastian, Sebastian knew they were true.

The penthouse was special. It was the place that Molly had always gone to see them. In Sebastian’s mind it was still the place that Jim lived. It was the place that Sebastian expected to open his eyes and see Jim coming around the corner to dethrone his evil twin. It was special, and Sebastian didn’t want Richard to see it. Richard didn’t remember a lot, and as such Sebastian didn’t think Richard would ever ask about this place. It simply wasn’t important to him. 

Sebastian relaxed the closer and closer he got to the penthouse and the further and further away he got from Richard’s flat. Richard had kept Sebastian around like a pet all day long. It was making Sebastian’s teeth itch. He’d washed all of Richard’s dishes (because Richard, it turned out, worried about germs on his food to an unsettling degree), while getting a lecture on how sanitary hospital food was (very, surprisingly). Sebastian had to talk Richard out of growing his own food (because, Sir, you really won’t have time for it). Sebastian ended up vacuuming the floor after he walked in from the grocery store without taking his shoes off (and had been informed he could walk around with his shoes on if the shoes were thoroughly washed first). Sebastian had never become so stir-crazy so fast and he’d even made a grocery run and a run to pick up dry cleaning during the day. 

It was just Richard. Richard ordered him around like he was a dog. Not that Jim hadn’t, but Jim only did that when he was trying to be funny or when he was seriously pissed off. Sebastian was a highly trained professional, and Jim never wasted him. Sebastian did Jim’s cooking and grocery shopping most of the time because Jim needed to be sure what he ate would be safe. Richard ordered Sebastian to do the shopping and the cooking because he saw that as something Sebastian did. Richard couldn’t even conceive of why Sebastian would want to get away from him. 

Arriving at the penthouse was a blessing. Sebastian took his sweet time getting out of his car and took the stairs up instead of the elevator. He told himself it was for exercise and not his severe wish to avoid Richard. He’d get home with plenty of time before Molly showed up, that was all that mattered. Sebastian had more loyalty to Richard’s face than to Richard himself.

The key had a wonderful familiar feel as it turned in the lock. Sebastian allowed himself to imagine for a second that he’d open the door and Jim would be there where Molly sitting at his side. Jim would give a quiet order to Sebastian and Sebastian would scoop Molly up and take her to bed. It wasn’t exactly Sebastian’s ideal. His ideal would be that Molly would only be his and Jim would be completely okay with that. But the reality had been as close to ideal as it could be, and then Jim went and shot himself. Sebastian would have strangled Jim for that if he could have. He might strangle Richard, but for other reasons. 

The penthouse was dark and Sebastian knew no one had been there since him. He went to Jim’s study. Jim locked it, but Sebastian had a key. Sebastian entered, glancing around. It was exactly as Jim had left it: with the filing cabinets of Jim’s legal businesses and the closet full of books on every subject under the sun, to the desk where Jim did he actual work. The desk drawers also had the legal business files in them, but then these were often the companies that Jim funneled dirty money through to get to his very legal holdings. 

Jim was a bit paranoid, but he knew very well why he should be. Sebastian just happened to know all of Jim’s tricks. Well, not all of Jim’s tricks, but Jim sometimes got the sniffles and didn’t feel like getting his laptop from its hiding spot and so Sebastian had to figure out how to do it or risk losing some ‘less important’ fingers. 

Sebastian sat in Jim’s chair, reaching under the desk top, pulling the latch to release the false bottom which swung open. He then started feeling around under the false bottom until he found the right spot. He slammed on that spot with his fist and a second false bottom opened. This one had a little pull cord, which Sebastian pulled. A false side opened on one of inner sides of the desk drawers. Sebastian carefully closed the two false bottom before bending down to work on the final obstacle to the laptop. It was a safe with a combination. Sebastian had it memorized and it opened easily. Inside the same were a few files that Jim had to have on hand, and his laptop and charger. Sebastian took the laptop (and though tempted to leave it behind and need another trip back) and the charger as well. He shut the safe door and the false side. 

Jim was a paranoid man. Even if anyone could get to his safehouse and could get into his study and could realize that there was anything in the desk and could get through all the different falses and could get the combination in without having the insides blown up, it would be unlikely that they could then turn the computer on and then get through the incredibly dense encryption that Jim used and all of Jim’s levels of passwords, and the thumb scanner which Jim kept meticulously clean. But Jim still had all those safeguards. Sebastian wasn’t even sure that Richard could remember enough to get through the computer’s security. If he did even one thing wrong, the whole mess would come apart and the laptop would become a very expensive doorstop. 

Sebastian found the laptop case, carefully settling the laptop (even without the information it probably cost more than most people in a developed country would make in a year) into its spots. Sebastian was as meticulous with the laptop as Jim would be, because Jim would be that meticulous. Sebastian strapped everything in its proper place, made sure that everything was zipped all the way and all the Velcro fitted exactly in place. It gave Sebastian the extra bonus of time away from Richard. 

Sebastian glanced exited the study with the laptop. He shut off the lights as he left and locked the door. His mission was half way over, but even with all his stalling it wasn’t taking up enough time. He glanced around the flat, wondering if there was anything he could bring with him that wouldn’t have a chance of tipping Richard off that Sebastian had to go to a place he’d lived with Jim. Sebastian had already moved most of his clothes to Richard’s place to avoid that. There were still things he wanted for Richard’s flat, a certain DVD box set, and some kitchen utensils. But he couldn’t risk bringing them back yet. Sebastian didn’t want Richard getting suspicious and asking questions. 

He could bring things back, but he’d have to lie and say he went to another safehouse on the way. Sebastian knew this was a stupid idea. Richard would want him to come right back. Richard just didn’t know how far away the penthouse was so Sebastian could take his sweet time going to get the laptop. In the end, Sebastian decided to raid what was left of the food and make himself a sandwich. 

Jim had liked peanut butter and jam. Sebastian had liked it too. Outside of the US, peanut butter was not very common, and really not that popular. Sebastian had a soft spot for it from his father having a soft spot for it. Jim just liked what he liked. Sebastian was thankful, because sometimes all he could get Jim to eat was something that not anyone could mess up: like a sandwich made of peanut butter and strawberry Jam. Sebastian made his sandwich, Jim on his mind. 

“Did you really have to leave me this nut job?” he asked as he washed off the knife and spoon he’d used and put them away. He poured himself a glass of water, and ate over the kitchen sink. He knew how to cover his tracks very well. He ate slowly, chewing the actual recommended number of times per bite of food. It slowed down the eating process and supposedly made a person feel more full. He hadn’t really been hungry to begin with and he wasn’t hungry when he finished so he didn’t care. It still didn’t take much more than five minutes. Sebastian took his time sipping his water. When he finished he cleaned the plate and put it and the glass away. He washed the crumbs away and wiped down the counter. He didn’t know when he’d get back and he didn’t want ants.

He loitered around a bit more for a toilet stop and an extra long time washing his hands (while he idly thought Richard would be happy with the meticulous care Sebastian took getting under his nails). Finally Sebastian couldn’t stall anymore. He took the laptop and left, flipping off the light and locking the door as he left. He took the stairs down to the car again, taking care with each step all the way down. His legs felt like they’d gotten a workout and that was fine. He just needed to take the extra scenic route to Richard’s flat, driving at exactly the speed limit. 

The ride back took almost exactly the same amount of time as the ride to the penthouse had taken. Sebastian took his time on the stairs again and took time to drop his keys a few times and fumble with them once he got to the door. Finally he just had to go in. “Back,” he said a bit redundantly. That didn’t matter though, because the flat was completely dark when Sebastian returned. 

The frown he wore around Richard would probably come permanently plastered on his face. Sebastian entered and turned the lights on. “Richard?” he called. The lights being off was a bad sign. Nothing good would come of it. At the least, Richard was going to try and hop out and scare him (it wasn’t funny even when Jim and done it). Sebastian’s mind filled in all kinds of traps that Richard could have set for him. Richard hadn’t backed off with the uncomfortable touches at all, and Sebastian wouldn’t put it past Richard to drug him, tie Sebastian down, and just have his way. The thought made Sebastian shiver. 

“Richard, where the hell are you?” Hey, he was playing Richard’s best friend, right? He was doing it for the act, that was his excuse anyway. Sebastian walked to the sofa, dropping the laptop there very carefully when he saw that Richard wasn’t lying there. Sebastian started his sweep of the house with the kitchen, then the bathrooms (both empty). He finally had to go back to the bedrooms. The instant he found them both empty he was filled with relief and then a terrible dread. Where the hell had Richard gone off to? 

‘Don’t love me alone with him,’ Molly had said. 

Sebastian felt his blood one cold. “That bastard,” he hissed. He grabbed his keys and ran out, stopping only to lock the door. He punched the speed dial for Molly’s phone as he sprinted down the stairs. “Come one, come on, come on, Molly, pick up.” 

“Hello, this is Molly Hooper, please leave me a message after the beep.” 

“Shit!” Sebastian shouted, slamming into his car. He drove out of the garage like a bat out of hell, headed for St. Barts, dialing Molly over and over as he went. What the hell had Richard done to Molly. Sebastian hoped they were at the hospital. If they weren’t, then Sebastian wouldn’t have any clue where they would be, where Richard would take Molly. 

“Shit,” Sebastian murmured when he finally gave up trying to get Molly to answer her phone.


End file.
